Chara played 25 minutes in Game 1, then practiced Friday afternoon before being struck by the illness. He has missed just a total of 10 regular-season games, eight because of injury, in his five seasons with the Bruins.

"I think if it's up to him, he'll definitely play," Julien said in the morning. "The only people that'll hold him back are our doctors. That's the type of players you want on your team and he's got that attitude."

Some of Chara's teammates were not aware that the defenseman was hospitalized.

"I didn't know until last night," said forward Milan Lucic. "He's a battler. And I'm sure he'll do whatever he can to be able to get himself ready to play tonight."